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Two Italian women abducted in Iraq
Gunmen raided the house of Italian humanitarian group Tuesday and abducted four hostages, including two Italian women, in a bold daytime assault in the center of the capital, witnesses and police said.
Armed men stormed into the office, placed guns to the heads of the aid group's guards and grabbed the four workers, said Jean-Dominique Bunel of the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq. An Iraqi woman resisted, but the kidnappers subdued her and threw her into a car and sped away, witnesses said. "We had no sign of danger," Lello Rienzi, a spokesman for the group, told reporters in Rome. He said the women "believed they were working in complete security." The two Italians were identified as Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both 29, the group said. The two Iraqis were identified as Raad Ali Aziz and Mahnaz Bassam. The organization was supplying water and medicines to Fallujah, Najaf and Baghdad. The attack was only the second known kidnapping of foreign women since the wave of kidnappings began earlier this year. A Japanese aid worker captured in Fallujah in April was released a week later. In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi assembled his ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs, as well as with intelligence officials, for an emergency meeting, his office said. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini spoke with his Iraqi counterpart, who "assured the public security forces' full commitment" to obtaining the safe release of the two women, according to a statement released by Berlusconi's office. Frattini also conferred with his counterparts from Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to the statement. The recent wave of kidnappings of foreigners has alarmed the international community here, prompting organizations to review their security options. However, Bunel said he knew of no immediate plans by other private aid organizations to evacuate the country because of the kidnapping. A car bombing last year at the offices of the international Red Cross prompted many aid groups to flee the country, although some returned. Insurgents have kidnapped more than 100 foreigners since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Numerous Iraqis have also been abducted by criminal gangs demanding ransoms. In another ongoing hostage drama, France's foreign minister, Michel Barnier, was prepared to return to the Middle East at any time to help secure the release of two French journalists held in Iraq even as experts continued to analyze whether a ransom demand posted on a Web site was authentic. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said a day earlier that the ransom demand had "provoked a lot of skepticism from experts." Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous said the Web posting, found Monday on a site known for militant Muslim comment, was still being examined. Signed "the Islamic Army of Iraq," the name of the group that has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, the demand gave France 48 hours to pay a ransom and accept other conditions. The statement — written in unsophisticated Arabic and lacking the hallmarks of such messages — raised doubts among regular contributors on Islamic Web sites.
A new message Tuesday, apparently sent by the contributor who sent the other demands claimed proof of authenticity would come "the day you see the heads of the French severed if they don't agree to our demands." The message also claimed the group was linked to al-Qaida. The journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, disappeared Aug. 20 on a trip to the southern Iraqi city of Najaf. Five other Italians have been kidnapped in Iraq, two of whom have been killed. In April, four security guards were abducted, and one was executed. The other three were released. Last month, an Italian freelance journalist was kidnapped near Najaf and killed. |
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